The treatment of malodors in domestic and industrial areas has attracted some attention in the recent decades. Most solutions available in the market today address the issue of masking or eliminating malodors in the gaseous phase by applying aerosols or sprays which contain fragrances, of synthetic or natural source [1], or neutralizing chemical agents [2] in the gas phase. Such solutions do not address the problem of treatment of wastewater in the liquid phase in order to eliminate malodorous which are associated with volatile compounds originating from within the wastewater.
For domestic uses, standard containers allowing the release of a measured amount of disinfecting and surface-active compounds are typically used [3]. Although providing a disinfecting effect and often comprising fragrance components, these products do not treat the volatile compounds causing malodors, but are rather used for masking the malodors once the volatile compounds have been released from the water into the gas phase.
Therefore, there exists a need for odor-neutralizing compositions that reduce the content of malodorous volatile compounds above aqueous reservoirs by treatment of said volatile compounds in the water phase, as well as those present in the gaseous phase above the water. Preferably, such compositions are required to be also environmentally-friendly and of low cost.